Fragile
by mythica magic
Summary: Hatori is put in a vulnerable spot when he transforms in the city on a rainy day. Luckily, Tohru is there to try and soothe the fragility of seahorses. Even when they're in plastic bags meant for goldfish. Hatohru oneshot


**Fragile**

Hatori definitely, sincerely, positively, hopelessly… needed a cigarette.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he glared at the clamp on his car. It was a yellow monstrosity fixed to one of the front tires, preventing it from moving. In his defence, the road wasn't marked particularly well. What's more, he'd been 10 minutes in the store at most.

He shook himself slightly. No, that was making excuses. He hadn't even considered how improperly he'd parked.

_Ridiculous, _he admonished himself. It wasn't like him to be so scatterbrained, maybe he was turning into Aya.

Rain poured down from the sky, soaking his coat and plastering black bangs to his cheek. The streets were near empty, what with the torrential downpour. Hatori lowered the phone from his ear, unable to get through to anyone to pay the damn fine or get this mess organised.

_I guess I'll have to take a taxi, _he sighed. This was not how he wanted to spend his 'day off.'

Hatori sneezed, abandoning his car on the street to duck under the cover of an open store entrance. Pushing his hair aside, he tried to recall the name of the taxi company, before feeling something soft bump into his chest. Hatori jolted, eyes widening.

"Ah, I'm so sor-" Tohru raised her head, only to gape as blue smoke suddenly burst forth from his form. "Hatori?!"

A suit, coat and shoes fell in a heap on the wet floor. Tohru's hands dove through the smoke, patting the ground in a gentle frenzy to try and locate his small zodiac form. "Hatori? Hatori!" She panicked, raising her head in time to see a helpless seahorse slide over the wet concrete floor further into the store.

Shrieking with fear, she bolted after him, tripping over one of his stray shoes and bumping her knees painfully on the ground. But that didn't stop her from scrambling up again.

She hurried after his figure and leaned down, reaching out desperately- only for a beefy hand to beat her to it. The store employee lifted the seahorse up carefully. "Geeze little guy, you shouldn't jump out of your home. How'd you even get out?" He sighed, opening the lid of a fish tank and popping Hatori inside. About 10 other seahorses floated around him curiously.

It was then that Tohru noticed for the first time that she was standing in a pet store.

Squeaking, she placed her hand on the glass, peering down to look at the dazed seahorse. "Don't worry! I'll get you out," she said, before turning to the man. "U-um, excuse me but…that's my seahorse you just picked up."

The man raised a brow, scoffing. "And you take him for walks in the city, huh?"

"Yes!" She nodded repeatedly, brown eyes wide.

He laughed. "Nice try, girl. You can buy a seahorse just like everyone else if you want one so bad."

Tohru bit her lip. If Hatori changed back now, he'd surely be humiliated, but it was more than that. Since learning of Kana and others he'd wiped the memories of, it was clear to her that performing the memory wipes hurt him in a way she could only guess at. She didn't want him to gain that lonely, jaded look in his eyes again. So, turning to the employee, Tohru pulled out her purse. "Okay! How much?"

* * *

The rain continued pouring. Tohru tried her best to steady Hatori's bag, nerves fried. He felt 10 times more breakable than the other zodiacs. The man at the store hadn't exactly encouraged her, saying that if she was going to carry a seahorse_ that_ way, he probably wouldn't survive long.

Holding Hatori against her stomach and bringing her light jacket around the plastic to shield it, Tohru murmured words of encouragement, trying to soothe him. In his position, she'd certainly feel fragile. The little orange seahorse just bobbed in the bag gently, looking at her.

His clothes had been stuffed into her heavy shopping bag, straps over her elbow. After walking for a while, the weight started to get uncomfortable, so she stopped at an ally.

"I'm just going to rest here a second and get my bearings, I don't want to get us lost," she informed him in a hushed tone. Ducking into the shadows of the towering buildings, Tohru set down the shopping bag, sighing as she leaned over, checking him for the hundredth time- only for a burst of blue smoke to swamp her sights. Her hands touched damp skin, and Tohru squeaked, looking up.

Hatori stared down at her with an unreadable expression, eyes slightly wide.

"Ah-! You're okay! I'm so glad! But really, I'm _so_ sorry for bumping into you, Hatori. That whole situation was all my fault–and oh, you were put into a bag, you must have been so worrying-"

Hatori touched her forgotten hand on his chest. "I'm fine, miss Honda. You don't have to worry, but…"

"But?" She feared the worst.

"Well… I'd appreciate it if we could have this conversation when I'm not naked in an ally."

Tohru jolted, finally registering her hands on him. Hatori smiled slightly as she squeaked and yanked them away. She firmly set her gaze at the tops of the buildings when she accidentally glanced _down._ "A-and it's raining!" She turned with a red face, grabbing her bag and opening it, passing the clothes over. He thanked her calmly and put the damp boxers on first.

Heart racing, Tohru figured it was probably best to give him privacy, but it was still pouring, and he looked to be struggling. Steeling herself, Tohru grabbed his long black trenchcoat and pulled it over her, raising it over her head and stepping closer.

Hatori paused, raising a brow.

"Please duck down, Hatori. I'll keep you dry as you change," she smiled, trying to ignore her heated cheeks.

He stared for a moment, before offering a small smile in return and ducking down to make her job easier. She shifted her arms higher and stretched the coat over his head, standing on tiptoe.

The doctor was quite tall in comparison with her.

Hatori slid a crisp white shirt on, glancing at her and noting her averted gaze. She was…a singular existence, miss Honda.

Rain met the ground in soft successions, coaxing the gentle smells of petrichor into their senses.

He tried his best to change quickly, failing to ignore her proximity as her own scent caught his attention. Like home cooking mixed with fresh linens- and something else. The feeling one gets when turning their face into a patch of sunlight after staying in the shade. Their breaths intermingled in the small, private space. He'd never held on the burning precipice of touch for so long before. Hatori's weary heart thundered. He somewhat loathed the reaction. She was just trying to be kind, yet his touch starved skin pricked with want of her. The chill of the weather was barely a blip on his radar.

He leaned down to put on his shoes, causing his head to briefly touch against her stomach.

Tohru swallowed, setting a hand on his shoulder to steady him. It felt warm, solid.

"You paid for me…didn't you?" He asks, breath fanning over her exposed, freezing legs. A bad day to wear shorts.

"Y-yes. But it was my fault you were in the tank in the first place."

Hatori straightened, bumping his head against the coat ceiling. He then prodded her forehead. "I'll give you back the money." Tohru opened her mouth, but he cut her off. "All of it. No arguments," he mutters, lifting the coat off himself and standing at his full height. Glancing at the fretting girl, he finally noticed something.

"Why aren't you wearing a coat?" He reprimanded.

Tohru pushed her index fingers together, wearing his coat like a hooded cloak. "The weather changed so quickly while I was out getting food for dinner. I didn't even think to bring one," she lifted it off, attempting to hand it to him. Hatori pushed a firm palm against her fingers. "You wear it. You need it more than I do."

Her jaw set, and Tohru gave him a look that shouldn't have affected him as it did. A determined Tohru was something to behold.

"We'll share it!" She chirped, raising on tip-toe and attempting to hold the coat over their heads again.

"Miss Honda-"

"_Please_," she cut in, and he couldn't recall her ever slipping and doing something so impolite before. Usually the girl seemed so rigid in sticking to manners. Like it was gravely important. Her head dipped forward slightly, long brunette locks sliding down over her shoulders. "I don't want you to get a cold…please. Let's walk together like this," she said gently, her words almost lost in the rainfall. It landed quietly on the coat, and as she lifted hers to look at him, Hatori quietly exhaled.

He glimpsed something rare and vulnerable in those deep brown eyes. She'd just revealed more of herself than he had standing bare. A secret, buried thing. Hatori nodded, dooming himself to yet more scattered thoughts that had distracted him earlier. Bending down, he allowed the coat to touch the crown of his head, before assisting her with holding it over their heads. They wandered out of the ally together, staying close.

* * *

Finding the details of a taxi company, they decided to split the cost by riding together, first to Sohma estate, then Shijure's house for her. Hatori placed his coat over her knees without a word, folding his arms and looking out of the window.

"… Did someone close to you pass away from an illness involving a cold?" He asked in his usual sombre way.

Tohru nodded. "Mn, my father. Though… I wouldn't call him close to me," she said, brushing damp locks away from her cheek.

"I see," he glanced at her. "You don't have to fret about what happened earlier."

"No worries! I won't tell anyone you were naked in an ally!" Tohru beamed.

The taxi driver glanced at them with a suggestive look in the rearview mirror. Hatori shut the vent allowing him to listen in. He then faced Tohru. "That's not what I'm referring to. Earlier, you were concerned about causing me to transform."

Tohru quieted, tilting her head slightly. Hatori's chest did a funny thing. "Well, yes. You always seem to dislike your zodiac form more than the others. I can see why, it must be frightening."

The car carried on through the city, headed towards the outskirts.

"It usually is," he muttered. "Though, it can depend who I'm with at the time when it happens." Deep lilac eyes slid to pale knuckles, hazing over with past memories, before resurfacing and glancing at her again. "Sometimes, it's not a bad thing. I get to know who I can rely on…to be vulnerable with," he said haltingly. He'd probably said too much. "You have the ability to make others feel safe, miss Honda."

Tohru stared at him, lips slightly parted. The patter of rain on the windows fell away, and it was just them, clumsily trying to navigate whatever they were.

He cleared his thought. "Even when they're being carried in a bag meant for goldfish."

Slowly, her lips tilted up. Tohru beamed outright, cheeks a rosy red as she giggled quietly. "…Thank you."

Hatori's eyes widened slightly, before he turned to look out the window. He felt the consuming want to protect her. This girl who tried so hard for others wellbeing. He knew how draining such a thing could be.

Fingers drew into loose fists on his knees as his heart shuttered with warning. Hatori ignored it in favour of watching the brightening skies.


End file.
